# Tobacco good for the garden?



## elderboy02 (Jun 24, 2008)

Is already smoked tobacco good for your garden, or is this an old wive's tale?

I have been dumping my ashes in the garden b/c I heard it is supposed to be good for the soil.


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## carterwsu (Apr 3, 2008)

I normally dump BBQ ashes on the lawn when emptying the catch container. I've heard from someone somewhere at sometime that the ashes are supposed to be good. Or.... I could just look like an idiot spreading ash all over the lawn. Now that I think of it though, after volcano eruptions like St. Helens, the ash made for really fertile soil.


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## Big Bluto (May 14, 2008)

I was just thinking about that today...well don't some countries practice "slash and burn" techniques for agriculture? That's about the only thing I remembered in social studies as a kid...


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## ggainey (Sep 3, 2007)

Potash is used as a fertilizer, and it obviously has a lot of ash in it, but I think you can over do it. Don't quote me on this but too much makes the soil too alkaline (I think):chk


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## Totemic (Jun 2, 2008)

According to the wife, ash is alkaline. Which means for plants which thrive in alkalic soil, it's good (e.g., rhododendron). For plants that require more acidic soil, it's not so good (e.g., roses, I think..).

However, unless you're planning on dumping a few dozen pounds of ash into your garden, I think it's ok.


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## rrplasencia (May 25, 2008)

had a buddy that would save his nubs in one of those 5 gallon water jugs. once a year his wife would use it to fertilize the soil a month before planting her roses. they were nice roses, if not this works to --> :BS


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## bripper (May 24, 2008)

I mulch the rhododendrons with cigar butts and dump the ashes into hanging fuchsia containers on our decks. All is well, lots of blooms.


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## Dailong (Jul 6, 2008)

I always wait until the end is cool and toss it into the lawn and the mower takes care of the rest. I never see any discoloration or yellow spots either. The times I did throw it into the garden it never affected the plants.


Pham


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## Sigarz (Jul 29, 2006)

I have a spot behind my house that is lacking grass but ever since I started dumping my ashes and in fact cigar "remnants" (which gets ground up by the lawnmower) grass has started to grow back. :tu


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## kas (Nov 22, 2006)

Don't know about ashes, but my extended family used to run a truck-farm produce operation and we used tobacco dust to ward off groundhogs in the cantalope patch. Worked great. I use the same trick with coffee grounds to keep squirrels from eating my tomatoes (you can get bags of it at Starbucks).


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## b128thopen (Dec 5, 2007)

I am not sure about the ashes, but I tear up what is left of my sticks and throw them into my compost bin. I have noticed it takes them a bit longer to biodegrade, but they eventually do.


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## ryansallee (Jun 27, 2008)

The nicotine in the cigars will keep the bugs away, too.


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

I don't know about good for the garden/lawn but disposing them outside is a must. I hate day-old cigar smell coming from the trash.


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## shilala (Feb 1, 2008)

I've kept a garden since I was a kid.
The very best way to ruin cucumber plants (among others) is to chew snuff and spit it in the garden. Tobacco Mosaic Virus can be (and in my case, usually is) transmitted laterally and screw up everything.
For that same reason, I never touch plants if I've dipped snuff or smoked a cigar, and I don't smoke while I'm working in the garden.
I wouldn't sweat it if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't grow cucumbers to save my ass until I identified the disease and figured out how I was getting it in my garden.

So far as tobacco ashes go, I wouldn't even consider putting them near my garden.
If the ash weren't to touch anything else and were kept out of the ashtray so they couldn't get flecks of tobacco mixed in, I still wouldn't do it. 
It's just not worth the risk.

Since identifying the problem I mentioned, and correcting my habits, I'm a world class cucumber grower. I have rafts of cucumbers before anyone in the area, and they're perfect and gorgeous. 

Here's a link to TMV.

Hope this helps!!!
Scott


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## Footbag (May 14, 2008)

Totemic said:


> According to the wife, ash is alkaline. Which means for plants which thrive in alkalic soil, it's good (e.g., rhododendron). For plants that require more acidic soil, it's not so good (e.g., roses, I think..).
> 
> However, unless you're planning on dumping a few dozen pounds of ash into your garden, I think it's ok.


Ash does raise the alkalinity, but Rhododendron like acidic soil.


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## gwc4sc (Jan 11, 2008)

shilala said:


> I'm a world class cucumber grower. I have rafts of cucumbers before anyone in the area, and they're perfect and gorgeous.


Is that how you keep Kerri around? With your perfect and gorgeous cucumber


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## mugen910 (May 14, 2008)

shilala said:


> I've kept a garden since I was a kid.
> The very best way to* ruin cucumber* plants (among others) is to chew snuff and spit it in the garden. Tobacco Mosaic Virus can be (and in my case, usually is) transmitted laterally and screw up everything.
> For that same reason, I never touch plants if I've dipped snuff or smoked a cigar, and I don't smoke while I'm working in the garden.
> I wouldn't sweat it if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't grow cucumbers to save my ass until I identified the disease and figured out how I was getting it in my garden.
> ...


Oh my gawd...so many jokes...must resist!:r


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## shilala (Feb 1, 2008)

gwc4sc said:


> Is that how you keep Kerri around? With your perfect and gorgeous cucumber


That and my rapist's wit. :r


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## Moro (Jun 30, 2008)

elderboy02 said:


> Is already smoked tobacco good for your garden, or is this an old wive's tale?
> 
> I have been dumping my ashes in the garden b/c I heard it is supposed to be good for the soil.


Heard the same thing from me gal. Chop down the reminding cigar butt and drop it with the ashes in a compost soil.


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## Cigarin-Martin (Jun 11, 2008)

I think its good for ashbergines, ashparagus and ash browns!:chk
But hey what do i know plastic plants die on me!


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## Footbag (May 14, 2008)

Cigarin-Martin said:


> I think its good for ashbergines, ashparagus and ash browns!:chk
> But hey what do i know plastic plants die on me!


Man if I only had an ashbrown tree!:r:r:r


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## Cigarin-Martin (Jun 11, 2008)

I think you dry out an ash brown, crumbled it up and plant it? let me know if it works Adam we can give Maccy Ds a run for their money?:r


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## Mark C (Sep 19, 2007)

shilala said:


> Tobacco Mosaic Virus can be (and in my case, usually is) transmitted laterally and screw up everything.
> For that same reason, I never touch plants if I've dipped snuff or smoked a cigar, and I don't smoke while I'm working in the garden.


:tpd:


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## shilala (Feb 1, 2008)

Mark C said:


> :tpd:


Somone mentioned compost, Mark.
A guy could compost ashes and butts, and they'd be fabulous for the garden so long as they're cooked down good.
I still wouldn't even put them in my compost pile, either, but it'd be cool to have a guinea pig for this experiment.


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